Life lessons at the Park

A visit to the park Saturday turned very ugly for my 4-year-old daughter. She encountered some other 6-year-old girls on a slide, who began calling her a monster. When my daughter asked them to stop and apologize, they promptly did - noting that they weren't cry babies and were big kids.

But what was said next was even more troubling. "We better say sorry because she's black," one of the girls told the other.

My heart dropped when I heard those words. How does a six year-old even begin to say these words? I called to my daughter and told her that we don't play with people who display such rude behavior. I told her that there was no need to try and be friends with someone who was going to be constantly mean to her.

After we walked away, I told her that she was beautiful and that I was very proud of her. She smiled, and said daddy, whenever we find someone is mean to us and they keep being mean, we just walk away right. I replied "you're right princess."

I didn't try to find the parents of these mean girls. They were no where in sight. I didn't try and correct these misinformed young women. My only concern was preserving the heart and innocence of my beautiful 4-year-old Grace.

I can only imagine that there will be other times that could conceivably be a bit tougher. But I had no idea, that the color of my daughter's skin would come into play with her peers before she even got to kindergarten.

It's Heresy I tell you! Heresy!

In a move that sent shock waves throughout the Hip Hop Industry last week, four masked women, calling themselves Heresy announced their intentions to bring back hardcore lyricism to the genre, through a sonically pleasing delight called Move that Flow.

The 3:56 second song from the quartet has more lyrical content in the first 30 seconds than nearly 80% of  mainstream Hip Hop's top hits right now. Heresy manages to simultaneously change the paradigm of what's expected out of a female Hip Hop artist and return to the rugged grimy hardcore lyricism prevalent throughout the Golden Age of Hip Hop.

Forsaking fancy R&B like choruses and not relying on oversexualized gyrations to cover up average to sub-par lyrics, this super group of femme fatales relies on the art of rhyming and verbally assaulting the beat.

And just who are the members? While I know one of the members personally, and am aware of some of the others, I'm not going to go into any detail about just who is in the group, until they officially make the full reveal. I can say that these are women who know how to handle their business and have a true appreciation for the Hip Hop culture. I think people are going to be surprised and blown away once Heresy reveals itself.

Hip Hop needs balance - a little less pop and a lot more substance- and this super group of female emcees has just the power to do it. It's Heresy I tell you. Heresy!